Polymarket has partnered with Nasdaq Private Market to launch private company prediction markets, using its data to power markets tied to company milestones, valuations, and initial public offering (IPO) outcomes, in a move aimed at opening one of finance’s most exclusive corners to retail users.
The launch marks Polymarket’s entry into private company prediction markets, a new category designed to let users speculate on performance and milestone events involving privately held companies that have traditionally remained out of reach for retail participants. Through an exclusive agreement, Nasdaq Private Market will act as the resolution data provider for the new Polymarket private company prediction markets, supplying data used to determine outcomes tied to private company events.
Polymarket expands into private company prediction markets
The new Polymarket private company markets will focus on key events linked to privately held companies, including valuation milestones, IPO timing and secondary market activity. Polymarket said the offering is intended to provide users with a way to engage with private-company outcomes in real time, while also providing an additional signal for institutional investors tracking developments in the private markets.
The launch comes as private companies continue to attract growing investor attention, with nearly 1,600 unicorn companies globally now holding more than $5 trillion in cumulative value, according to figures cited by the company.
Nasdaq private market data to power market resolution
Under the agreement, Nasdaq Private Market data will serve as the official resolution mechanism for the new private company prediction markets on Polymarket. That means prediction market outcomes tied to private company milestones will be settled using data from Nasdaq Private Market’s infrastructure, including information linked to primary and secondary market activity.
We're excited to announce our exclusive partnership with Nasdaq Private Market.
— Polymarket (@Polymarket) May 19, 2026
Retail traders can now get exposure to private companies, one of the historically most profitable asset classes, exclusively through Polymarket. pic.twitter.com/ThotQNwlzW
Polymarket said combining its prediction market platform with Nasdaq Private Market data creates a new mechanism for price discovery in private companies, offering what it described as more transparent access to private-market signals. The launch also positions Polymarket, a private company prediction market, as a potential sentiment indicator for institutional investors monitoring private company performance.
Polymarket CEO says launch opens access to private markets
Shayne Coplan, founder and chief executive of Polymarket, said the launch brings prediction markets into an area of finance that has traditionally been inaccessible to retail participants. “Prediction markets are one of the most powerful tools we have for democratising access to financial information and opportunity,” Coplan said.
“Today’s launch brings that power to one of the last frontiers of financial markets that retail participants have never been able to access.” Coplan said Polymarket’s private prediction markets would allow users to engage with outcomes linked to some of the world’s most valuable private companies.
Nasdaq private market sees institutional value in prediction markets
Nasdaq Private Market said the new private company prediction markets could also create a real-time data signal for institutional investors. Tom Callahan, chief executive of Nasdaq Private Market, said high-integrity data would be critical as retail users engage with markets linked to private company events.
Nasdaq Private Market executive Rodolfo Sanchez added that the data flow could work in both directions, with institutional-quality private market data anchoring prediction markets, while market activity itself creates additional signals for investors tracking private company performance. This positions Polymarket Nasdaq Private Market prediction markets not only as a retail-facing product but also as a possible new tool for private market sentiment and price discovery.
Prediction market growth
In another development, Polymarket recently launched its US exchange on iOS. This marks a major milestone after more than six months of anticipation. In the past, US users could participate only through an invitation-only pilot. With the rollout, Apple users in the US can now trade event-based markets directly via the app. Android access, however, remains unavailable.
Prediction markets are gaining momentum in the US, enticing millions of participants alongside traditional sports betting. Analysts forecast steady growth, with prediction markets expected to hit $1 trillion by 2030. Still, challenges remain. Legislators, for one, continue to scrutinise event contracts to determine whether they pose risks to younger users, such as Gen Z.
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